- And now for a kink in the plans: the real Brithael makes his way to the back door of Tintagel.
- Ralf has to bludgeon the young porter Felix to get him out of the way.
- Brithael has a message for Ygraine, and he'll kill Ralf if he doesn't open the door. Merlin hides behind the door with his sword.
- Merlin and Ralf learn that Brithael's suspicious because he came upon Cadal on the path below. We learn that Brithael's servant has most likely killed Cadal by now.
- Now the stunner: Gorlois is dead. He decided to attack Uther's army before any actual battle began, but it turns out that Uther's troops were ready.
- Then Merlin does a boneheaded thing. Instead of skewering Brithael while he has the chance, he says the man's name out loud. He's lost the element of surprise.
- Brithael is a much better fighter than Merlin, and Merlin regrets giving him any advantage. He tells Ralf to alert Uther to the kerfuffle. Brithael understands right away what's going on.
- And Merlin gets a righteous beating from Brithael. He crushes Merlin's hand. He nearly crushes Merlin's windpipe. But none of that matters, because Merlin succeeds in stabbing him to death.
- With Brithael's death, Merlin has controlled the damage. The alarm doesn't go up, and Uther and the rest can make a getaway.